Possible Ubuntu 11.04 install failure?

Did you MD5 test the ISO you downloaded?

good question...i did not...how do you do that?

i looked up how to do the MD5 test...if i looked in the right place, it is telling me to test it using the terminal, but how can i use the terminal if i cannot get Ubuntu to run? i can run Ubuntu from the USB drive, but I must select boot options on the POST screen in order to get the USB to boot (although I have set it up to be the first boot option in the BIOS settings)...

If you are not using Ubuntu to create the installation media, you can also MD5 test in MacOS and Windows.

ok...I performed the MD5 test using a program called FastSum 1.7...according to that, the test passed; however, i still was unable to properly install Ubuntu 11.04 onto this Dell Inspiron 910...once the install is complete and the computer says it has to restart, i remove the USB drive and all i get after the initial POST screen is a blank black background with a flashing cursor in the upper left corner of the screen...and it doesn't allow me to type anything...thanks!

Ok it uses a crappy intel GPU so I recommend you add the boot option:

nomodeset

This can help lots.

i have read how much that can help in situations like this, but unfortunately, it hasn't helped me...when i started the computer, it brought me to a menu screen that allowed for me to boot from the USB drive, install Ubuntu, perform a memory test, select advanced options (of which there are no advanced options in this selection), and see a help menu...when i got to that screen (i believe it is called the GRUB), i typed in nomodeset and it told me it couldn't find the kernal nomodeset...

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1613132

i appreciate the tutorial; however, from the pictures that are posted, i do not have GRUB2...in fact, i am not sure what i have...how can i get GRUB2 onto the Ubuntu 11.04 that i downloaded from the website?

did i also mention that i can run Ubuntu 11.04 from the USB drive? that the problem i have is after the install and the USB drive is no longer in?

any other help?

Why do you believe you do not have GRUB2?

went out of town on business...sorry this reply took so long...anyways, i assumed i don't have it because of the screenshots that i have seen from the links provided...i don't get those screenshots...and it seems that no matter what i try to do, i can run Ubuntu from the flash drive, but i cannot run it after the install when the flash drive is removed...just get a blank black screen with a blinking cursor in the top left corner, but i cannot type anything...i am thinking of trying Fedora again to see if i can at least install it...and FYI, i even tried to install the Ubuntu Netbook Remix 10.10 with the same result...

Given what you have described, it seems that you do have Ubuntu installed on your machine, that you do have GRUB2 installed, and that it is likely that nomodeset would help. What happens if you hold down the Shift key as your computer boots?

i have tried holding shift and nothing happens...in order to get to the "GRUB" screen, i have to physically go into the boot options for my netbook, and choose USB...then, it loads to what i guess is the "GRUB"...from there, i have to choose the help option in order to put in the nomodeset boot option, but even then it still boots Ubuntu ONLY because the flash drive is in...once i remove the flash drive, i get the blank black screen on the next boot...i have even went into the boot options and physically selected the hard drive, just to see if it would do anything different...

"and it seems that no matter what i try to do, i can run Ubuntu from the flash drive, but i cannot run it after the install when the flash drive is removed"
Could you run following procedure, so I will know if Grub is installed.
--------------------------------
Provide data about boot configuration

There is a standard script provided to analyse boot configuration. Could you download script at:
   http://sourceforge.net/projects/bootinfoscript/
Then in a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) run command:
    sudo bash [path/to/the/download_folder]/boot_info_script.sh
This will produce a file named: RESULTS.txt. Paste content of this file in http://paste.ubuntu.com/ and provide in this thread the link to Web page. Please don't post file directly in thread, else it will make thread difficult to read.

good gracious!! it took me forever to get it to work...finally, i realized that i wasn't capitalizing the "d" in downloads for the folder...aaaarrrggghhhh!! anyways, here is the link: http://paste.ubuntu.com/659648/
hope this helps you to help me!!

You are right--GRUB2 is not installed to the Master Boot Record. So, install it. That should fix your problem.
http://www.webtechquery.com/index.php/2010/04/install-grub2-from-live-cd/

started to do this procedure, but the following code did not work:

sudo mount –bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo mount –bind /proc /mnt/proc

the error message said "mount: invalid option -- 'b' "...the rest was was very long and included suggestions as to using -bind and mount...

ok, i have been doing some reading about GRUB2 and i think i may need to add here that i am not doing a dual boot with anything else...this install is just ubuntu alone...just FYI...maybe that helps, maybe not...

Personally, I use this https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Copy%20LiveCD%20Files I found simpler.
Did you used "--bind" with a double dash.

@delance
I have posted at http://www.webtechquery.com/index.php/2010/04/install-grub2-from-live-cd/ about the problem in their instructions. (My comments are awaiting moderation, so don't worry if you go there and don't see them.) I searched Launchpad and found that it is a pretty common cause of trouble when those instructions have been recommended to people here [often by me :-( ], so unless/until it is fixed, I will refrain from recommend people use those instructions, and refer people to https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Copy%20LiveCD%20Files (or https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Methods%20of%20Reinstalling) instead.

Do you know if there has been any talk of packaging https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Use%20Boot-Repair%20Graphical%20Tool (https://launchpad.net/~yannubuntu/+archive/boot-repair) officially and including it on desktop CD's for future Ubuntu releases?

ok...it works!! cool beans, gentlemen...i appreciate the help...the only thing that i would suggest for the http://www.webtechquery.com/index.php/2010/04/install-grub2-from-live-cd/ instructional would be to show how to change back from the root...when i tried to unmount, i got error messages until i figured out how to bring the terminal back from the chroot...again, thanks for the help...

Thanks Eliah Kagan, that solved my question.

@Eliah: About Grub2#Use%20Boot-Repair%20Graphical%20Tool , I have any idea. I simply discovered that someone added it in https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Methods%20of%20Reinstalling . I never tried it. I have no relationship with people writing Boot or Installation tools.